Harlequins confirm James Johnston departure

Harlequins confirmed today that James Johnston will leave the club when his contract expires at the end of the current season.
The announcement was made yesterday that the Samoan tighthead agreed terms with Saracens for a “long term” contract.
The 26-year-old joined the London club from Richmond in 2009 and has since made 88 appearances, including the Aviva Premiership final last May.
“We are very disappointed to lose a player of James’ ability,” said Conor O’Shea, Harlequins Director of Rugby.
“He has developed greatly since he joined us four years ago and I’m sure he is destined for great things in the game. Unfortunately, given the constraints of the salary cap, we were unable to meet his financial expectations so he has decided to move on at the end of the current season but I know he will give his all to go out on a high from the club that has become his extended family and means a great deal to him.”
O’Shea continued, “We’re in the fortunate position of having two of the most exciting, young tight heads props in the country coming through our system in Will Collier and Kyle Sinckler and we are confident that we will be able to recruit another experienced front row forward to complement them shortly.”